I stopped eating at random. This was a learned habit from my parents. They just eat and eat and eat. I’m not even sure if they know they’re hungry, but they will just buy food and eat it. Just to have something in their mouth or stomach.
They are of course very overweight/obese and diabetic. Part of me wonders what would happen if they just took a break. It’s okay to feel hungry, it’s okay not to be eating all the time.
I have gone entire days without eating, until around 8pm, no worse for wear. Scared the shit out of my mother, because she was with me all day at an event and saw me not eating anything.
Clarity and a lot of free time. Knowing that I’m only going to be eating between the hours of 5pm to 8pm means that I don’t have to think about what’s for breakfast/lunch. If I’m in the middle of a project I don’t have to stop for lunch etc. It also means I save a lot on food shops.
Kinda niche, but I do wilderness backpacking and now I’m much more confident in packing my food, because I truly know it’s okay to be hungry. I used to end trips with so much extra because I hadn’t wanted to be even a little short, and even carry excessive snacks on day hikes. Now I know I’ll be fine and just pack what I’ll actually need.
It stopped mindless eating and snacking, freed me from constantly thinking about my next meal and focused me on the meals I do eat being good healthy fuel for my body. Also curbed drinking everyday and kicked that habit. Generally I just feel so much better than I did before, have great energy for workouts, and know this will help avoid the chronic diseases that run in my family. Lastly, it’s frees me up to do things without being concerned I will be hungry or where will I eat if I go do ‘X’, yes I still get hungry but I also know I’m not starving and I won’t die being a little hungry…knowing that hunger subsided after a while is a game changer.
After COVID lockdown trauma, helped me to quit drinking and brought my cholesterol and A1C down to peak healthy range (paired with a low carb diet and regular exercise). Although, I’ve been binging on carbs and booze for the holiday season and so it’s time for a New Year’s reset. Today’s planned 36 hour fast lasted 12 hours, lol. So change of strategy: will do keto for a few days before taking the plunge again.
I have PMDD (y’all, I swear it’s not just really bad pms) and I’ve had a significant decrease in length and intensity of my symptoms. I haven’t thought about killing myself in months which (for me) is crazy! I’m not at all paranoid! Not a single rage blind event since September. Even some of the physical symptoms, like fatigue and joint pain, have backed off.
I’m likely going to keep a fasting regime for the rest of my life, or at least until after menopause, for the physical and mental health benefits I’ve had.
I don’t even know where to start…
Better nutrition. I actually think about what I’m eating before I eat. I was a very emotional, just grab whatever kind of eater before. My cholesterol was starting to get up there which was shocking because I’m relatively young.
Also I feel like my hunger is better managed now, I feel fuller faster.
mindless eating & snacking, i’m more intentional with what i put in my body now. i’m also amazed by my self discipline now. i didn’t think i could ever do IF bc “i love food too much and can’t survive without eating every 2-3 hours”
I’ve been using IF as a tool to develop my body’s interoception skills. This, in turn, is helping to heal the foundational dysregulation of my nervous system that developed as a result of severe developmental trauma.
In simpler terms, IF has given me the structure to help cut down on all the noise occurring in my body from food, alcohol, weed, and overuse of sleep aids. Now that the noise has decreased exponentially, I’m able to learn how to read my body’s cues and develop more somatic awareness. This has helped decrease my anxiety and depression and has led to a surge in creativity and motivation as well as my ability to connect with others. My brain and body are experiencing a lot of changes right now and it’s really exciting to see the progress I’ve made in healing my developmental trauma.
Well this is not related to IF itself but fasting in general
Never was such a true believer of the healing process of fasting until 2 nasty sprains i had in my ankles one of them a 6 month long injury
Completetly healed after 2 months of fasting. Ive had been dabbling with IF years priors. But now 3 years later.
Coming back to it. And having like a time machine. I feel getting younger by the week
Self confidence and esteem… That brought the rest, as being confident on my will makes me have the inner strength, energy and clarity to tackle anything that comes into my life…
Health too, I used to have a lot of digestive issues related to eating and feeling stressed afterwards… They are all gone!
More free time because I do not have to cook so often! And on fasting days roughly one hour more free time in addition because I don’t have to eat. Therefore scheduled my sport workout to the fasted morning.
My relationship with food. The ability to skip a meal and then focus on WHAT i really eat. What i put in my body. The ability to say: no, thats not hunger, thats just boredom.And then, as a plus, i lost 15 kg.
Lower cost on food. I spend more in the store/farmer market, but spend way less on random junk and fast food I used to graze on all day everyday.
IF led to me quitting drinking. I don’t think I had to do it, but it made losing weight easier and has also helped me in so many other ways. getting drunk and therefor hungover from 3 beer because I was having them with my first meal of the day wasn’t that fun.
i don’t have food cravings anymore, i dont feel hungry before i go to bed, i have a lot more energy throughout the day, and i dont have bathroom troubles anymore regarding my digestion. AND my doctor told me that i significantly lowered my cholesterol by 90%! i also am able to get up in the morning not feeling like shit! my internal clock used to be 12pm but now its between 8-9am!
I have been able to cut my diabetes medicine dose in half and my blood sugar is now generally within a completely healthy range. Also improved job performance with more alertness and energy during the day. Getting my bloodwork done this weekend so hoping to see additional improvement.
More knowledge about what goes into my body, in turn, I’ve become not just healthier in terms of weight, but my skin is glowing and my hair has never been this strong before. It could just be the harsh Australian summer but I swear my hair has gone lighter too!
Also, a tremendous amount of self discipline, I’ve saved money, healthier stools, clear urine, whiter teeth, more motivated and generally a happier person :)
I don’t notice anything other than weight loss outwardly, except I had 2 damaged nails on one foot from an accident and the nails were bluish and never responded to anti fungal treatments or tea tree oil etc for 13 years. After one year of IF, I noticed that the blue nails started turning a normal color. They are not fully recovered yet, but I think autophagy and reduced blood sugars are doing their thing. I have hope now that if I continue with IF, my nails will grow in clear and normal in a year or two,